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Fancy heart shaped puff pastry filled with fresh whipped cream, sliced strawberries and topped with a drizzle of Nutella. Try these puff pastry hearts for a quick and easy Valentine’s dessert recipe.
I had a dream about these cute little puff pastry hearts filled with fresh cream, bright red strawberries and loads of Nutella. Everyone else dreams about random food right?!?!
With a 6 month old baby, I don’t think I’m actually getting to REM sleep to be able to dream. I’m pretty much a mom zombie over here so if this post makes no sense, you’ll know why.
Family Valentine’s Day Dinner
Anyway, Valentine’s Day is coming up! (yay). For the last few years, we have celebrated with a family Valentine’s Day dinner. It is a fun way to enjoy Valentine’s without spending forever waiting for a restaurant.
Plus the kids seem to get a kick out of having a fancy candlelit dinner at home. Let’s be honest, our kids aren’t really ready to sit at a white table cloth establishment.
Simple Valentine’s Day Dessert
These puff pastry hearts are a simple and easy Valentine’s Day dessert. If you really want to impress your Valentines, you can make your puff pastry from scratch. Puff pastry from scratch is definitely worth the time and effort, but it does take a time commitment. So, for this recipe, we will use a little help from store-bought puff pastry.
Just like my puff pastry twists, these start with a flaky butter puff pastry and then I added fillings and toppings to make it even more delicious. Let’s get started on how to make this simple Valentine’s dessert.
How to Make the Puff Pastry Hearts
To make the puff pastry hearts, you’ll need these tools:
- A rolling pin
- A fork
- A pastry brush for the egg wash
- Heart shaped cookie cutter
- Piping bag with 1M tip (optional)
- Handheld or stand mixer
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 425°F/220°C.
On a lightly floured surface, fold the puff pastry sheet in half and using a rolling pin or your hands, gently press the layers together.
Step 2: Cut out as many hearts as you can with your heart shaped cookie cutter. Gently prick the tops of the hearts with a fork.
Tip: Make sure your puff pastry is cold and straight out of the fridge. If you notice it is getting a bit warm, you can pop it into the fridge/freezer for a few minutes to chill it back down before baking.
Step 3: Lightly b rush the tops with an egg wash.
Step 4: Bake in the oven at 425°F/220°C for about 9-10 minutes.
Step 5: After the hearts have cooled, use a serrated knife to cut the hearts in half. This should be fairly easy since you had two layers of puff pastry when you started.
Step 6: Prepare the whipped cream.
In a cold bowl, add the cream cheese and powered sugar. Cream until combined.
Add the cold heavy whipped cream and beat on medium for about 2-3 minutes or until you have stiff peaks.
Then add the vanilla.
Step 7: Either pipe or spoon the cream onto one side of the heart puff pastries.
Step 8: Add a layer of sliced sliced strawberries and the top of the puff pastry heart.
Step 9: Decorate the top with a light dusting of powered sugar and a drizzle of Nutella. You can use a piping bag or ziplock with the tip cut off to create this look. Otherwise, you can just dip a fork into the Nutella and drizzle it over the puff pastries.
Tip: Heat the Nutella in the microwave so it will “drizzle” better.
How Do I Store Them?
These puff pastry hearts are better served immediately. However, if you can’t serve them right away, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Note, if you store them in the fridge, they will become less crisp. As with any kind of cream filling, you’ll want to store the whipped cream in the fridge.
How Many Does this Make?
What Size Cookie Cutter?
A Bit Messy – A lot of Love
Fair warning: These puff pastry Valentine hearts are super delicious but definitely messy to eat. Your Valentines should love you even more with a bit of chocolate on your face, right? It was fun to watch my husband and my kids eat these. They dove right in without hesitation. My husband and I are coming up on our 10 year anniversary. When you’ve been married for a while it is nice to know, you can be your true self, flaws and all and that person will still love you no matter what.
If you like this recipe, check these out:
- Step-by-step guide: How to Make Puff Pastry
- Chocolate Torsades (Puff Pastry Twists)
- Valentine’s Family Dinner
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting
Valentine's Puff Pastry Hearts
Ingredients
- 1 sheet of puff pastry
- 1 tbsp flour (for dusting)
- 1 egg
- 4 oz cream cheese (50 g)
- 1/2 cup powered sugar (more for dusting) (80 g)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (250 ml)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 8-10 sliced strawberries
- 2 tbsp Nutella
Instructions
Puff Pastry Hearts
- Preheat the oven to 220C/425F
- On a lightly floured surface, fold the puff pastry sheet in half and gently press or roll the sheets together. (Not to much or it will flatten it out)
- Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out heart shapes in the dough.
- Prick the tops of the hearts with a fork and lightly brush with an egg wash.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes. (Times will vary on your oven)
- While the hearts cool, make the whipped cream.
Whipped Cream
- In a cold mixing bowl and a whisk attachment, cream together the cream cheese and powered sugar until combined. If you like it less sweet, add less of the powered sugar.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and beat on medium for 2-3 minutes or until you have stiff peaks.
- Add the vanilla.
Assemble & Decorate
- Split the hearts in half with a serrated knife.
- Pipe or spread the whipped cream onto one side of the heart.
- Add a layer of sliced strawberries and top with the other side of the heart.
- Lightly dust powered sugar on top of the hearts and drizzle the Nutella on top. Tip: Heat the Nutella in the microwave for 30 seconds to make it spread easier.
Sarah
I think I am going to try with raspberries.